Tuesday, June 28, 2011

Brooklyn-based Northwood, an up and coming Americana-roots-indy-country-folk band, is currently partnering with Kickstarter to raise money for a full-length album. The song below, "Morning" is from their EP, Pond Life, which you can buy here.

&lt;p&gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a href="http://northwood.bandcamp.com/album/pond-life"&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;Pond Life by Northwood&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&lt;/p&gt;

Kickstarter is a funding platform for music, art and other creative projects. It allows fans to have a vested interest in the outcome of a project. Backers pledge financial support, thus adding to the collaborative financial effort. Many times the artist involved will offer a thank you gift for the support. For example, a $10 pledge to Northwood will get you a digital copy of their album (assuming they reach their fully funded goal). You'd spend that much to buy it anyway and you get to help the band reach their goal. It's a win-win situation. (Higher amounts bring higher rewards.)

Check out Northwood's promo video for their Kickstarter campaign, which features their song, "Morning". If you enjoy their music, consider contributing to them. (Or at least have a look around and see who else is asking for support. It really is a tremendous way to be a patron of the arts.)

Saturday, June 25, 2011

"The unknown often brings fear with it. In my books I try to counteract this fear, to replace it with a positive message. I believe that children are naturally creative and eager to learn. I want to show them that learning is really both fascinating and fun.” -Eric Carle

For as long as I can remember, I've been enjoying the work of Eric Carle... first as a child, then as an educator and finally with my own children. I look forward to one day sharing my love of his books and artwork with my grandchildren.

Today marks his 82nd birthday. Happy birthday, Mr. Carle. May it be a memorable one. Thank you for years and years of happy moments and smiles.

Tuesday, June 21, 2011

I'm not feeling all that spiffy. (Must have been all the fun and sun this past weekend!) Since I'm feeling a little moody and melancholy, today's tune kinda reflects that. It's an older one by Tresspassers William from their 2002 album Different Stars. I'm happy to say that TW is supposedly working on some new music... it's been far too long.

Do you listen to music that mirrors your mood? Do you think music can alter your mood?

Friday, June 17, 2011

(since it didn't occur to me that I wanted a picture until it was gone)

I recently hosted a Cuban themed dinner that included mango salsa. This stuff was so good that I ate the leftovers for lunch everyday until it was gone! I've had a hankering for it lately so I'm trying to think of a way to incorporate it into our Father's Day barbeque. Up until this attempt, all of my salsa making had been more traditional, which I love and will eat in a heartbeat, but there is something really refreshing about mango salsa that makes it perfect for this time of year. The Mojitos we drank with it also did a good job of screaming "It's summertime!"

For those of you who are looking for a nice little summer twist to your chips and salsa or maybe a good accompaniment to some grilled fish or chicken, give this a whirl. Enjoy!

Avocado, Tomato and Mango Salsa

Ingredients

• 1 mango - peeled, seeded and diced

• 1 avocado - peeled, pitted, and diced

• 4 medium tomatoes, diced

• 1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced

• 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro

• 3 cloves garlic, minced

• 1 teaspoon salt

• 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice

• 1/4 cup chopped red onion

• 3 tablespoons

Directions

In a medium bowl, combine the mango, avocado, tomatoes, jalapeno, cilantro, and garlic. Stir in the salt, lime juice, red onion, and olive oil. To blend the flavors, refrigerate for about 30 minutes before serving. Serves 6 (unless you eat as much as I did… then serves 2 if you’re lucky).

Tuesday, June 14, 2011

I'm really, really loving the song "Up, Up, Up" by Givers. It's off their newly released debut album, In Light and it is the perfect summer song.... it's a happy, catchy, joyful sound. Givers, a young quintet from Lafayette, Louisiana, are a band to keep your eye (and ears) on. Have a listen and let me know what you think.

Oh and true confession time... while I love the song, watching them just wears me out!

Sunday, June 12, 2011

One of my very favorite things to do is to sit outside early in the morning and drink my coffee. There is just something so peaceful about this time of day. I love the fact that the rest of my family is still asleep and the house is still. I wonder if all the years of having so many little kids running around (and never sleeping in) contributes to this love?? Of course, now I have adult/teenaged kids and the last thing they want to see is what 6:30am looks or sounds like! (All the better for me!)

I thought this morning would be a good time to finally figure out how to use the camera on my iPhone since I've had it for a few months and haven't even tried to take a photo. I still have a ways to go, but it's a start.

The necessities... my computer (playing some tunes), coffee, water, pad and pen and a little flower to brighten my morning. It rained last night (YAY) so the table was a little wet, thus the tea towel.

An anniversary gift from some dear friends.

My companion, Kiki. We actually have two other cats, Mia and Massimo, but we don't allow them outside. (They are lilac point Siamese and my concern is that if they go out a) someone will take them or b) they aren't smart enough to get back in successfully.) Kiki was a lost kitten my kids found a few years ago and she's a tough cookie.

The Maryland flag. I love everything about my state except its politics. I think we have the absolute best looking state flag in the whole country. This was a Goodwill find that sat in a drawer until recently, when I decided it would look good on the deck. I plan on buying a flag pole for it and hanging it properly, but for now this works. Yes, that's mosquito fogger sitting in the window sill beside the flag. What you don't see are the 4 cans of mosquito repellent sitting next to them. The other thing I don't like about my state are all the mosquitoes but I love being outside more. Priorities, you know?

Our deck is under a 100+ year old pecan tree. We have wonderful lights strung all through it. They look pretty awesome at night. I always feel festive when they are on.

I need to play some more with the iPhone camera but it really is so much easier than any other cell phone camera I've used and really opens up so many possibilities for photos on the fly.

The rest of my day is filled with normal household things and then Sunday dinner with my family at my father's house that hopefully includes a stroll in the stream. I hope you find some quite time today to enjoy something you love.